Liberty dining Services Makes multiple adjustments to dining halls to keep students safe

Liberty students returned to campus last week to be greeted by stickers enforcing social distancing and flyers suggesting face coverings scattered across academic and residential buildings.

In accordance with CDC suggestions, guidelines have been implemented across campus upon the reopening of the university. In all buildings students and faculty are asked to wear face coverings. With the requirement for masks also came protocols for social distancing. Each dining location made the appropriate changes to adhere to the new protocols.  

Duane Davis, the district manager for Sodexo, addressed the multiple changes made with Liberty dining. This includes requiring masks, social distancing in lines, eliminating the majority of the self-serving stations and reducing available seating.

“Because of the 6-foot distancing that we have that’s required by the health department, it has literally cut all of our seating in our dining facilities pretty much in half,” Davis said. “For instance, in the Rot we used to sit 2,200 people, and now we can only seat 1,100.”

This change in available capacity has provided new additions to be made to help students. One new option is allowing takeout for the Rot, where students can grab a to-go box and pick food from any station. This fall semester, Liberty dining also partnered with the food delivery service Grubhub. By adding this option, students can place their order and grab it from the pickup station. All Liberty dining locations, apart from Chick-fil-A, have this option available for use.

Measures are being taken to protect students and the wellbeing of employees as well. 

“All Sodexo staff are wearing masks, and all my employees get temperature checks before work,” Davis said. “We are telling all of our employees that if they have any symptoms, like not feeling well, cold, soreness in chest and throat, then we’re asking them to remain home until they feel better.”

Rhino Security employees have also been placed at all dining locations. They enforce mask wearing in the dining hall as well as try to keep people spaced out and
socially distanced.

Overall, safety is the number one priority for Davis and his department, as well as many other departments in the university. 

“Our most important thing that we want to do is just keep people safe, but at the same time trying to keep dining services as normal as we can,” Davis said. “It is a little bit of a struggle for everyone knowing that it seems like it’s taking things longer than in the past, and that’s really just in line with the social distancing.”

As far as other departments, residential living has been a big change for students. Jane Deane, a junior in Commons 1, shares the new regulations put into place for the dorms but points out a potential lack of enforcement.

“In the dorms you’re not supposed to have people come on the hall that don’t live there, so they’re trying to limit who is in the common area and who is on the hall,” Deane said. “You’re supposed to wear masks in the elevators and in the hallways, but I have not seen how they’re enforcing that as of right now.”

Despite possible hiccups in the early stages of implementing dorm regulations, Deane shared that she understands Liberty is trying its best to enforce the new rules. Overall, she stated she felt safe being back on campus.

For Deane, staying healthy is the main focus and priority.

“I’d say to other students, just to try and follow the rules the best you can, even though it is difficult and sometimes annoying to wear masks all the time, but we’re trying to protect the older professors and people who need that protection,” she said.

Stephanie Haydon is a New Reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @Steph_Anice.